On the podcast today we welcome the lovely Emma Dougherty, Director of Youth Engagement at Queensland's Department of Education. Emma currently leads the 'Link and Launch' program.  

Emma started her career as a Speech-Language Pathologist in 2002, and practiced predominantly in state schools as well as some part-time private practice before progressing to supervisory roles within the Education Department. Taking the leap away from clinical practice and outside of allied health in 2015, Emma has worked as a Principal Education Officer and a Principal Advisor in the state education system. For much of this time she had the great pleasure of drawing on her allied health skills to lead the OT, Physio, SLP and Nursing services within state schools in the south east corner of Queensland.  

In 2020, a new opportunity arose to step outside the comfort zone even further, in leading a nation-first initiative to ensure young people who have completed Year 12 go on to make successful transitions post-school.  

In this episode we get into: 

Where Emma started in her career and how her role has changed over time 

What the Link and Launch program aims to do for students 

How students can access the Link and Launch support program 

The outcomes that Emma has seen through the program 

How people in Emma's life have helped her make that leap of faith with her career 

How Emma's previous skills in Speech Pathology have transferred over into her new role 

Links: 

Link and Launch Website 

Emma Dougherty LinkedIn 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.